Posted on 01/27/2016 5:55:49 AM PST by xzins
Four days after taking the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, LaVoy Finicum, a 55-year-old Arizona rancher told NBC News that he'd rather die than spend his days in prison.
"There are things more important than your life and freedom is one of them," he said in early January as he sat huddled in a blue tarp outside of the wildlife refuge keeping watch with his gun in his lap. "I'm prepared to defend freedom."
Finicum told NBC that night that he was staying outside to ensure that the FBI could find him if they came to arrest him.
Finicum was shot and killed Tuesday night when law enforcement stopped two cars carrying standoff leaders on their way from the refuge to a meeting in Grant County. Ryan Bundy, another militiaman, was shot and transported to the hospital, but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries, according to The Oregonian.
Before Finicum's death was even confirmed, supporters rushed to portray him on social media as a martyr who, according to unverified accounts, had his hands up and was unarmed when he was shot. Law enforcement sources told CNN that Finicum and Ryan Bundy were the only two leaders who did not surrender during the confrontation.
Finicum had taken a strong interest in land disputes with the federal government after he stood at Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's side during his confrontation with the Bureau of Land Management in 2014. After returning home to Arizona, Finicum – a Mormon father with 11 children– made a decision. He was no longer going to write a check to the federal government for his grazing fees.
At the refuge, Finicum became a spokesman for the militiamen, fielding questions from press and helping plan events like one Saturday where ranchers were invited to come to the commandeered refuge to sign "declarations of emancipation" from the federal government, documents asserting they would no longer pay grazing fees. According to the Oregonian, Finicum had incurred about $12,000 in fees with the BLM.
In a video posting just hours before his death, Finicum described why the militiamen were still holding onto the refuge after more than three weeks and after local officials and community members had asked them to go. Finicum said that the occupation was intended to push back on the federal government's overreach.
"They do not want to let go of this," Finicum said. "They do not intend on loosing here and we do not intend on giving it back to them."
But Finicum's participation in the standoff had taken a toll. Back home in Arizona, child services had removed four foster children from his family's care, a move Finicum characterized as retribution. Oregon Public Broadcasting had reported that Finicum made most of his income from fostering.
Before Oregon, Finicum kept a website One Cowboy's Stand For Freedom where he documented his beliefs, his family and his ranch.
Finicum writes on the website that "he has drawn a line in the sand and that line is the Constitution in its original intent."
He also had written a cowboy thriller about the chaos of the American West after an electromagnetic pulse collapses the country's infrastructure called "Only By Blood and Suffering." The novel traced a family as each grown child navigated the new world and fights back against the overreach of the federal government.
In my opinion, speaking as you did elicits zero sympathy from most Americans even if you maybe philosophically correct - if you are in an echo chamber such talk may motive / inspire you but outside of the echo chamber such talk sounds delusional.
I’m just making sure no-one misunderstood who I was referring to, especially considering that the BLM (Fedgov Agency) was involved in this situation.
You can’t be too careful around here some days.
Also, she says more than 3 rounds in the body.
That, too, is EXTREMELY easy to report on. No autopsy required for that.
Terrorists target civilians to try and win via terror. Our Founding Fathers made sure to raise a standing army that fought in the prescribed civilized way on the field of battle - not withstanding an occasional Indian style ambush.
But it shows that the girl’s story is solid. As would more than 3 rounds in the body.
At this point the whole, unvarnished truth is the last thing you are going to get from either side.
Well, 3 rounds, through and through would have 3 entry and 3 exit wounds making it look like more than 3, but I’m going to wait on this one.
Good grief. Guy is ranting drunk (i think).
I gave a reason why they failed to get wider sympathy outside of the echo chamber and gave an alternative tactic to fight the govt. I mentioned right in my statement I was not commenting on how correct their cause is or is not. It is up to you to now tell me why they failed in getting support from the public outside the echo chamber (which you are in with them). Remember preaching to the choir makes zero converts.
The girl clearly says he was shot more than 3 times.
That is an account that can be checked pretty easily.
Sorry, .org not .com.
Think it is already set in motion from the back rooms?
“”But really, if the quotes from Robert Finicum are accurate and he really, truly believed that death was preferable to jail then is it likely he’d be meekly surrendering with his hands up only to be gunned down? That does not sound like the man in the story.””
FOX Cable had a report from a FORMER FBI AGENT before the noon show came on and his take was “suicide by cop.” He based it on the statement that Finicum made.
I’ll tell you the guy didn’t speak very well and how does any news show know someone is actually WHO they say they are BEFORE they put them on the air? I would hope ANY FBI agent - former or not - would at least speak coherently.
He obviously dipped into the bucket of “ready made explanations” - former FBI or not. Anything goes in DC..
Supposedly there is going to be a news briefing and I thought they said 9 meaning Pacific time but so far, I haven’t seen anything here in the East.
sorry. 3 is the last I saw but as more and more comes out, it’s going to be difficult to stay up to date with changing stories, etc.
‘I believe a government that suppresses peaceful dissent is not showing strength, it is showing weakness and it is showing fear.’ - President Barack Obama - UN speech 28/09/2015.
Out of his own mouth he admits he fears the dissenting patriotic citizens of America.
fixed it
I’ve not doubt. The unremarked candidacy of a socialist for the presidency of the USA should be a signal to America about the direction they are going. Good ole uncle Bernie. Harmless. Lovable.
And he wants to own you lock stock barrel and soul. And they kill when you oppose them.
Live video feed from DefendYourBase is back up now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gip2Lp_op-g
If so' the FERAL Government would be releasing "dash cam" videos of it to every news outlet in the world.
Unless this Arizona Patriot was unarmed.
Rutrow!!!!!!
The Constitution has become a death warrant for those who know its true meaning.. and espouse it.
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